Introduction There is a new vision in the ever-changing Flight Simulator environment and it comes to you from a BirdsEyeView. Like most flight simulator enthusiasts we are constantly searching for new sceneries looking for more than what the default Microsoft Flight Simulator has to offer. Our hard drives are filling up with add–ons downloaded from various sites; some very impressive and some not worth the effort. A lot of trial and error. Then after time with all those additions, my computer begins to slow down and clog up making my whole MSFS experience a matter of tweaking and configuring settings to resolve conflicts than actually flying the simulator. The Flight Sim flying hobby became the Flight Sim hunt and tweak hobby. I often said to myself after some of those installs “Was it really worth the time adding this scenery if I’ll only fly it once or twice?” Or “When will someone come up with a program that gives the whole landmass a boost of realism and works within Flight Simulator and avoids all these system crashes and give me the ability to chose what I prefer for scenery?” I may have even said, “ Can these programs be made more affordable?” These may have been the very same thoughts designer Stephen R Stever had as
he started his own personal project that came to be BirdsEyeView.
Installation and Documentation Beginning with the USA-Canada Summer VOL 1.2, the setup wizard was a simple as it gets; click and follow the instructions. Placed on my desktop, is the BEV Configurator 2 icon and included in the download is a simple to follow User Guide. Here’s a comment right out of the manual, “…stop reading, and enjoy a little time up in the air with BEV beneath your wings.” Yes the installation of BEV is that simple. The User Guide goes on to give tips on the Configurator as well as instructions to previous owners of VOL 1 Summer for the upgraded Configurator 2 already installed in my download. Now if your like me and have installed in your scenery library hours of intensely downloaded and installed sceneries throughout the area covered in BEV USA-Canada, I was at least a bit apprehensive of trying something totally new. But here’s the best part, Vol 1.2 USA-Canada includes the default pre-BEV backup folders needed to restore your default files. So if you chose to go back, you can. I like having choices. After a few WOW flights and some experimenting with the Configurator 2, I was ready to install VOL 2 USA-Canada Fall. Now that I was quite comfortable with the VOL 1.2 install VOL 2 was a snap, and the added Fall season with all its selections were ready to use in the Configurator 2. The BEV Configurator 2 Well I did say I like choices and the BEV Configurator 2 is the tool to choose an unlimited number of themes you may desire, including your pre-BEV default scenery. Ultimately, with more releases of Regions and Seasons to come, the options will be limitless. However for now, with the choice of USA-Canada Summer and Fall, there are still an enormous amount of possibilities to adjust textures to your own preference. For your choice of season, you can select the texture-set you prefer within the pull down menu and make your choices as you would like them to appear. You can even have a closer look at each item to see the difference in the sets. Once you have made your choices, you have the option to save your selections as a theme or just go on to the next simple Apply Theme step then launch FS9 right from the Configurator 2. Go ahead and fly now and
see your selected choices appear for your flight. With a newly installed
product for my FS9, I’m always tempted to do a
bit of tweaking and change up the appearance of my flight. However, a note
in the BEV User Guide recommends exiting FS9 before such adjustments and applying
the Theme. For my Summer and Fall flights I stayed with the BEV default
texture sets then later expanded my choices.
The Scenery Whether you prefer high altitude flights or hugging the treetops, BEV is a whole new look to FS 2004. Re-flying some of my saved flights from the past was usually a matter of getting airborne, up to altitude, and just keeping up with the navigation and ATC. Looking out the window at high altitude in cruise was never a very appealing feature of the flight. With the BEV, addition familiar landscapes are boosted from the default with a fantastic seasonal appearance to the variations of the trees especially in the VOL 2 Fall. Even desert areas have new highlights of realism.
Cityscapes are highly pronounced both day and night, again with the appearance you chose through the Configurator 2. Road systems and railways are detailed along with a new overall look of oceans, inland lakes, rivers and streams. Not only is there a visually pronounced terrain addition but autogen buildings and tree textures exclusively created for BEV are truly “never been seen before”. And this was from FL 180 and higher. Coming back down to earth for my VFR flights, I witnessed all new detailed parks, golf courses, power lines, building sets, and the most realistic trees to be seen yet. This was really a WOW experience. Starting out from the general parking area in Calgary with a flight plan to Banff, a look across the field to the houses will reveal people standing by their cars watching you start up. Once airborne, I followed a realistic flight plan along the detailed highway through the mountain pass to Banff then Golden, BC. Another few stops over to Penticton, bt now I figured I know this part of the country very well, so I wanted to head out east and see the sites there. Changing up my aircraft with each stop, I had a tough helicopter flight over Quebec City (hats off to you helicopter types). I need more practice. The fall is beautiful in Quebec City. Then hopped into an airliner for a departure from Montreal to stop into Toronto. This is a huge city and the added BEV realism brings out a new perspective to the buildings and streets. Finally off to the bright lights of Las Vegas and a relaxing flight back to
Calgary. I could go on and on changing up my BEV settings each flight. The
choice is indeed mine.
Performance and Support Well if you have already been to the BIRDSEYEVIEW website www.flightsim-bevs.com, then you’ll read this statement, "Zero impact on frame rates; massive impact on WOW FACTOR". Over most of my flights, I ran payware add-on aircraft and actually had no conflicts as compared to my pre-BEV scenery additions. BEV also ran just fine with my payware airport add-ons, as well as with my Flight Environment. The comprehensive BEV site is filled with libraries of
screenshots from the current two volumes and if my own screenshots paid no
justice to this review, then there are many more screenshots in the BEV gallery
that cover several more areas than I could in the time I spent completing
this review. Also, the BEV site has a comprehensive forum which covers announcements, quick fixes or problems, and a screenshot forum. It is well worth a quick visit to the website to find answers to your questions. On the BEV forums you can even find a place to exchange your created themes.
Wrapping it up This scenery addition from BirdsEyeView is definitely an innovative approach for MSFS. I like the options and choices that the BEV add-on offers, and I personally don’t know of any other scenery add-on that lets you change it up like this one. BEV gives you the ability to configure this product however you prefer to see scenery, not just a single interpretation. Even the modest price of $12.00 US per season Volume, offers a choice of purchasing the regions and seasons you prefer. Plus, for any four volumes you purchase, the fifth volume is offered free. This allows you to be selective with your choice and not having to pay a higher price for seasons or regions you don’t care for. The visual enhancements
of the BEV scenery is a dramatic step up from the default scenery throughout
the area covered. It really is a new way of flying.
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